Archive for category Smashbox

It is RIDICULOUS how many awesome things I have to show you, I can’t even deal with it. Unfortunately, the past two weeks I’ve been working multiple nights at Clinique for the Sears GWP, so it makes chances of writing a post after working a 13hour day pretty much nil. However, it’s my day off Monday, which I usually tend to spend doing blog related things ALL day – so expect to see all of this fun stuff after that :) In the meantime, here’s a FOTD of the look I wore today to meet Make Up For Ever Canada’s PR rep (an awesome event that I plan on detailing in full very soon!). It was fairly simple, but I used some of my favorite products and therefore I loved it :) Check it!

It was sunny today for the first time all week, and it was so lovely!! These shots were taken around 8am and it was warm enough to stand outside with just my little thin dress on – c’mon warm weather!

I’m wearing NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Seychelles, which I find I only need a touch of to make my skin look fab.

I have a swipe of NARS South Beach Multiple (pinky-champagne) on my cheekbones, and then my new Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Lover, a pale peach. It’s quite subtle on my now-tanned skin, but I actually loved the look – it’s exactly what I want my blush to look like when I’m doing a low-key look. Though I think it’ll be particularly striking when my tans faded next Fall/Winter.

On my eyes I wore Smashbox Cream Liner in On Trend, a blackened khaki green, smudged at the lash line (top & bottom). Then I applied Make Up For Ever’s Star Powder in #940, a white-orange/gold, all over the lid just past the crease, concentrating extra color in the inner corners to capture that color-changing highlight.

This was an easy look, but allowed me to incorporate shades that I don’t always use – partly because they’re some of my favorites and it’s one of those ‘save for a special day’ kind of things, which is admittedly ridiculous. But, today was kind of a special day, and these products did NOT let me down – I felt polished, and current, without going overboard. And they were still going strong by the time I got home tonight, well over 12 hours. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout!! (Forgive me, it’s been a long day :P)

What do you think of this look? What products do you save for a ‘special day’?

Well…I’m pretty much sucking at this whole low-buy thing. You’d think, a gal who could give up buying cosmetics altogether during Lent last year could do a silly low-buy that consequently enables her to ALSO buy up to 5 nail polish a month and 3 LE items per season? Er, no. Seems I can’t. I am simply struggling to finish enough products in order to justify the amount I’ve purchased!! I tell you, it’s becoming impossible. There are just too many awesome products out there, it’s *sooo* not my fault!~Boo Hoo~ Enough with the whining I guess…you want to see the damage, I take it? Check out what I bought/swapped for in the last month (reviews for products will be eventually forthcoming):

OK. So I am at a surplus with my polish allowance – all good. I’m already down one for my Summer LE quota (which I can already forsee is going to be a HUGE problem with all the amazing items coming out!!!). Otherwise I picked up 2 skincareproducts and 7 makeup items. Hmmm…let’s see how I did in the *purge* category.Last month I was kickin’ butt at using up my makeup, but this month hasn’t been so successful. I did get rid of a couple of straggler products overall, but still…I’m disappointed. Take a look:

Skintimate Signature Scents Moisturizing Shave Gel

Suddenly, this was finished this weekend – I had no idea I was on my last pump, but I am SO happy about it! Shave gel = useless product.

Live Clean Moisturizing Body Wash

I used this to soak my feet in after realizing I wasn’t a fan of the generic soap-scent. Worked well in that area, at least! It foamed up really nicely.

Redken Real Control Crema Care (50mL)

This is a great styling lotion if you’re looking for a travel product – it holds and softens hair at the same time, but it’s a bit sticky feeling. I wouldn’t buy the full size version.

I enjoyed this for the first couple months, loving how *flawless* it made my bare nails look, and how it helped eliminate VNL, but it didn’t adhere my polish any better than any other base coat, and it got thick fast. I added thinner to no avail. For that price tag – bye bye!

Clinique Clarifying Lotion #3 (200mL) ($15CAD)

I know a lot of people have issues with the Clarifying Lotion. I don’t dislike it, but I’m not necessarily a fan, and if you have sensitive skin it can be a pretty harsh exfoliant. I’d recommend the mild version for most skins, which I may try some day. For now, I’m glad this is gone. I got it for free, so you know I *had* to use it.

Ole Henriksen Truth To Go Wipes ($10CAD)

I have yet to have luck with any wipes which don’t seem to harm my skin in some way. The first time I used these, I loved how soft they made my face feel (and still with that lovely orange-y scent, yum!). But then the next day my face seemed to be extra-reactive, and I think these may have been the culprit. There were only 10 wipes, so I just used them on the nights when I was just TOO lazy to wash my face. All done now :)

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser (50mL) ($17.50CAD)

Travel size of this cleanser. I bought it to check it out, and when I realized it wasn’t much of anything, I used it to travel with. However, I’ve been slowly running out of cleansers and I am trying to use them all up before buying more, so I started using this in the shower daily. It’s pretty fragrant so I worry about the effect it has on my skin – seems OK but I’m always suspicious. I wouldn’t buy this again.

Josie Maran Argan Oil (15mL) ($18CAD)

I sadly can’t get behind the hype of this product; it didn’t do anything amazing for my skin, and I was SO prepared for it to! I might be great in the warmer months for a nighttime product, but during the Winter days and nights, it was both greasy and yet not quite moisturizing enough some how. Fail.

NARS Sheer Glow in Syracuse ($55CAD)

I finished a foundation!! I can’t remember the last time I did that :) I’ve spoken of this one before – I really liked it; the color match was superb, the coverage just right (sheer to medium) and it didn’t irritate my skin in the least. I could use this on the sensitive skin around my mouth and it never caused any problems, and actually hydrated it a bit. I can’t use this in the Summer because it’s a bit too much for my oily skin, but in the cold Winter month it was just what the doctor ordered. I’d even potentially buy this again next year!

Clinique All About Eyes Concealer in Medium Honey ($20CAD)

– This used to seem like the perfect shade for me…but lately I found it to be a bit grey, for whatever reason. So it was a good thing that it was nearing it’s end. It’s pretty old too, probably 4 years+, and the sides are cracking so that I’d get concealer on my fingers when I squeezed too hard. How annoying. Time to go!

Maybelline One by One Volum’ Express Mascara in Blackest Black

– I know some people really enjoy this mascara, and the first time I used it I LOVED how long it made my lashes look – but it quickly got dry and super-clumpy, and I never felt like I had enough product on the brush since it comes in the package with the brush separate from the mascara tube to begin with. I dunno. It got old quick, literally:P

Buxom Mascara in Blackest Black (sample)

– I received this back during the Sephora opening, and only started using it about two months ago. Could be because it was older, but it just never gave enough *oomph* for me. It was absolutely AMAZING for getting every lash and for not clumping, ever, but it almost somehow faded throughout the day and my lashes seemed to get more and more puny as the hours wore on. I’m not into the au naturale look with lashes so this is not for me. And NOT Buxom by any means!

Clinique Surge of Color Lipstick Palette

– I got this in a gratis or through a school or something…and it’s SO not for me! Not only am I not a huge lipstick wearer, I don’t wear ANY of these shades, and I get irritated having to use a lip brush every time I want to apply it. No thanks man! I had this in a drawer at work just collecting dust – it’s time it kicked the bucket.

– I think I picked up the Annabelle liner looking for a recreation of MAC’s Spice liner, which I heard a lot about. Whether or not they’re dupes, I dunno…I barely used this because a) I just don’t use liner, and b) it was a muddy color on my lips. Boo. I’ve had this for like, 10 years – why am I keeping this kind of crap! BEGONE.

– I went through this kick a few years back where I wanted that pale nude-lavender lip look (see my post with Keri Hilson’s look) and this was the shade I picked up thinking it could help create it. Uh, no. This is like a pale silvery-beige-purple sheer lippie that makes me look dead. I tried mixing it with other shades to make it work, and I could, but good gosh – I don’t want to have to work so darn hard! It’s going, I can’t deal with it any longer. And it looks ugly in the tube. I hate when my makeup gets ugly-looking. GET OUT OF MY LIFE.

MAC Venetian Lustreglass ($17.50CAD)

– A couple years ago I had my makeup done at MAC for a Christmas party, and this was part of the look. It looks fantastic then, and then…never again. It’s too much of a blue-based red, and because it’s more on the sheer side, it looked weak as well. I am the most proud of this getting tossed – I mixed this with every friggin’ lippie I could to get rid of it, and hallelujah – success!! I could probably get a couple more uses out of it, but NO. NO, I REFUSE. I AM DONE WITH YOU.

So….yea. Getting a bit angry there, sorry! It’s just that those items that were long overdue to get the boot and it was driving me insane that they were hanging around forever. I hardly have any of those kinds of items left now though, sa-weet! …Except that means that I have very few products that are going to get used up any time soon, which means…very little allowable purchases for awhile (supposedly – hopefully I get some willpower this coming month). DANG.

Anyway, lets do the tally:

Limited Edition (Summer) – 1 of 3

Acquired – 9 (2 skincare, 7 makeup)

Got Rid Of – 22 (7 skincare, 1 hair, 14 makeup)

Skin- and haircare don’t even really warrant discussing – I think I’m always going to have more going out than coming in (although…how is that even possible? Hmm…eventually it’ll be one to one I guess) – but on the makeup side, I managed to achieve my use 2, buy 1 guideline by the skin of my teeth. I’m going to be up-front – I pretty much ransacked my stash to see if there were any items I didn’t want or even like and got rid of them just so I could ring in on the level. I know I need to strap down and really take this more seriously; the whole point of engaging in this challenge was to use and appreciate what I have…and lately I feel like I’m just chasing after the next thing and the next, and barely even registering what I’ve gotten. Which is a terrible habit to get into, and more than anything else I want to stop that cycle.

Next month, I PROMISE to do better! And hold me to it – there’s no point in engaging in another 9 months of this if I’m just going to continue on the same way I always have. My arse needs a good kick sometimes!

How do you keep your purchases in check? What are your suggestions on how to truly slow down and appreciate what you already have, and resist the siren call of new products?

Since I’m on somewhat of a purchasing slow-down during the holidays, and due to the fact that I’ve shown you all my skincare products, most of my nail polishes, my top faves, and my NARS collection…I’m sort of running out of new material here! LOL No, not really, but without any new products, I have to go ‘back to the beginning’ so to speak – this time around, I’m going to show you all the eyeliners I have in my stash.

I think that as far as liners go, I have quite a few. They’re all different colors for the most part, but it just seems like I have a larger collection than is probably necessary, especially since I don’t even wear eyeliner every day! Still, eyeliner is a quick way to look polished without much effort, so I like to have options on hand. I didn’t purchase many of these – most I amassed through swaps, or they came with other products in a value set. Let’s take a gander, shall we?

First, we have all my Urban Decay 24/7 liners – from left to right: Zero, Oil Slick, Crash, Bourbon, Lucky, and Covet. I purchased Covet, but the rest were through swaps or came with the BoS III palette I got last year (so, yeah, I guess I purchased that too :P). These liners are some of my faves, though I have to be very careful with them around my lower lash line, because aside from Zero they’re all sparkly and can cause some irritation. Excellent wear though, with a creamy, easy gliding formulation and awesome colors. These retail for $22CAD.

My three liquid liners – MUFE Aqua Liner #5, #14, and Illamasqua Havoc (left to right). Odd that I don’t even have a plain black eh? I’ll have to remedy that. I really like wearing a crisp liner with a flick at the end – not just because that’s the trend now, it’s always been a ‘thing’ of mine. I’ve reviewed all three of these previously (here, here and here). All around stellar liners that I would repurchase in a heartbeat.

My two MAC liners – Pearlglide in Petrol Blue, and Chromagraphic in NC25/NW30. I rarely wear the blue, but it’s really very pretty – especially on the lower lash liner. On my upper lashes, it kind of just looks like it’s trying to be black but isn’t. It looks better smoked out. The Chromographic pencil I picked up to use under my lash liner or on my waterline. It’s less stark than white and really brightens the eye area. Both are creamy and do not tug at the lashes, but not the greatest staying power. Pearlglides are LE – I think around $17CAD – and the Chromographics are $15CAD.

My Clinique pencils. Obviously didn’t pay for these :) First on the left is a Cream Shaper in Egyptian – such a pretty. shimmering dark khaki shade that works on all skintones. Very creamy and easy to blend, but is water resistant and will stay put until you wash it off. The one on the right is a Kohl Shaper, and its a bit harder to draw with, but smokes out beautifully. This shade is Blackened Coffee – a medium brown. The Kohl’s come with a sharpener in the cap, which is a great feature. Generally these pencils run $17 and $17.50CAD, respectively.

The only cream liners I own. I want to change this big time as I love the application and formula of cream liners. The first on the left is Smashbox Cream Eyeliner in …… ($27CAD). Very similar to Clinique’s Egyptian above. I will likely put this up for swap soon, I really don’t need both. The second is a Stila Smudge Pot in Black ($26CAD), a charcoal black. I got this in a Christmas gift about two or three years ago. It’s drying out a bit now and doesn’t work as well. When I first got it, it was amazing for creating a defined cat eye. I don’t use it much now because it’s really only good for smudging out. Still, a very nice product at one time.

I’ve reviewed these both here and here – MUFE’s Aqua Eyes #0L (a mat black – though it looks kinda brown here, doesn’t it??), and Khol #4K (a forest green). They don’t look like anything special, but the wear on these is excellent, and the Khol is great for the waterline. $20 and $19CAD.

Sorry for the majorly wobbly swatches here, these pencils were itty bitty and I could hardly get a grip on them! They’re all Revlon – one is a Luxurious Color liner in Blackened Sapphire, the other two are from the same pencil – a Streetwear one!!!!!!! If you remember Streetwear, then you’ll remember they had these neat double-ended pencils – I bought this white one (one end matte, one end shimmery) for the same reason I bought the MAC Chromographic – to line the water line. However, I realized when I started this post that these have gotta go. The Luxurious Color was a few years old and down to the nub, and Streetwear was a 90’s collection – I shouldn’t be using anything that old around my eyes!! Yikes!! Off to the empties pile they go!

I received Laura Mercier’s Kohl Eye Pencil in Black Violet in a swap earlier in the year. While I love the deep black-plum shade, it tends to migrate during the day, so I haven’t worn it much for this reason. Strange, as this is designed to be worn “inside the eyelid, at the base of the lashes.” A shame really, because otherwise this is a nice pencil. $25CAD.

My Chanel baby :) As previously noted, Khaki Platine is relatively innocuous – it doesn’t look like much, but I really find myself reaching for this pencil at least half the time. It brightens my eye area so easily with such little effort – and it never, ever irritates my eyes, which is becoming a really important feature of any eye product I use now. At $27CAD it’s expensive as all Chanel products are, but I don’t care: me like-y!

I bought this Lise Watier Eye Shine in Gold ages ago, and rarely wear it. I was experimenting with it last week though, and my interest was renewed – it looked pretty great alone on my top and bottom lashes with a good coating of black mascara! Normally I just use it to emphasize the inner corners of the eye. Lise Watier pencils are similar to UD’s pencils, without the glitter. I think these are around $17CAD.

My one glitter eyeliner, also from Lise Watier, that I may have worn once ever. Just not my thing, but they look so pretty in the containers and in swatches! I never realized that this particular liner has gold and silver glitter amongst the prevalent aqua blue. Quite pretty, and hasn’t evaporated terribly like some glitter liners (UD’s especially). Kind of going to waste in my stash, though. I’m not sure how much these retail for.

Well, that’s another collection down!! I hope these posts aren’t terribly dull – I always find it interesting to see what’s in other people’s makeup stash, but my collections are not as large and diverse as some. In any case, I like to have the swatches on hand because it helps remind me what shades to revisit – or if I give some away, and then pine for them later, I can take a look at these photos and remember exactly why I let them go. Documentation, you see :)

I’m headed to T.O. in a few days for a work forum, as I’m co-chair of our Atlantic youth network. I’m going to get to visit Liz from Beauty Reductionista again – yay!! I can’t wait :) Again, no shopping trips in our future, but I know one day we’ll get our chance. And at this time of year, it’s probably a good thing eh?

My friend Liz at Beauty Reductionista has been rocking these out on a regular basis lately and really giving her readers something to aspire to and admire. It’s not easy to reduce the load of products we often accumulate over time – typically, the load increases more and more, and if you’re like me, it only serves to weigh us down with guilt and anxiety; how are we ever going to use it all up?! So, when we do begin to pare down our stash and begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel – or, more realistically, see an opportunity for us to buy more stuff without feeling so guilty :P – we gotta celebrate that, right??

Not only have I been trying to lessen the load to make way for new product, but I’ve also been trying to streamline my regime to some degree. This month, my kickoff month, I decided that I was only allow to purchase a new product after getting rid of 10 others. The official term for this is called ‘Project Ten Pan,’ an idea originated by lollipop26, a makeup guru on Youtube. I first heard about this through Liz as well, and instantly had to read up on it. The gist is that you have to use up 10 beauty products before you buy anything else. While it’s not reasonable for me to try to do this every time for the rest of my life – c’mon, be serious here! – I figured I could do it for a month at least, and so far have been exceptionally successful. I’ve only purchased one, yes ONE!, beauty product this month (NARS Grand Palais duo – to be reviewed soon!), and below is the reason for this celebration – 10 products finished! Hoorah, hooray!

Without further ado, let’s get to it:First up, Aveeno’s Active Naturals Eczema Care Cream. This is actually my second tube and I’m just about to buy a third. It doesn’t last long – maybe a month, unfortunately – but it kicks some MAJOR butt on my eczema and makes my skin super-ridiculously soft. It’s totally worth the $8.49 every month for that alone! No scent, absorbs quickly, too easy!Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief. I received this in a gratis from Clinique a while back. I generally always have some of this on hand, it’s great for my sensitive skin as it’s oil-free and aloe based. Doesn’t do much but make the skin feel hydrated and soothed. It doesn’t repair the moisture barrier so it’s really more of a treat than a treatment. Nonetheless, if my skin is feeling parched, its one of the first things I reach for. This size jar (75mL) is $57CDN. No scent.TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner. I’ve reviewed this before here. Still my fave conditioner, but it lasted forever because it’s a monster tube and I just got bored. I think I’ll go back to it though, the new stuff I’m using by Dove is flaring my eczema up I think. I never had an issue with this. Around $6CDN for this HUGE container of it, and it just plain works awesome. And no ‘cones!First, Clinique Turnaround Concentrate ($47CDN). I reviewed the Turnaround Body Smoothing Cream here. Same premise, it exfoliates to uncover newer, brighter, smoother skin. Really terrific. Its very gentle (easy on my sensitive skin) but works wonders. It keeps breakouts at bay, my skin soft and smooth, and my skintone even. Perfect!

Second, Clinique Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturizer in Combination Oily ($46CDN). Oil-free, no-fuss hydrating moisturizer that repairs skin cell damage through the antioxidants (which are time-released) to prevent and slow aging. It also repairs the moisture barrier of skin so it’s stays hydrated and is better protected against external aggressors on the skin (pollution, sunlight, extreme weather). Of course, I can’t say if it’s preventing aging really – I don’t have a whole lot of signs of aging yet – but it’s good to my skin and keeps it hydrated and supple. I’m on the hunt for a new moisturizer though, I get bored! And, excuse the cut packaging, I forgot to take a photo before I used the tube entirely – gotta get out every last drop! :PUrban Decay Primer Potion, on the left ($23CDN). This was THE eyelid primer to get back a few years ago, until every other line started making them too and there was much more competition. I still think this is one of the front runners – it is extremely effective at keeping your makeup in place – but I find it intensifies my shadows so much, and not necessarily in a good way (shimmer becomes SUPER gaudy shimmer). And it has a slight color, which isn’t a huge deal, but my current primer – NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base – has no color and keeps my shadows true to pan. There’s a place for both primers I suppose, but for now I’ll stick with the NARS version which is equally effective.

Next, the ubiquitous Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($44CDN). Another HG for many in the past, but again has been somewhat unsurped by newer formulations recently. I never loved this primer, and perhaps you can see I didn’t entirely finish the bottle – I didn’t like the way it sometimes would pill and ball up on the skin, and it is soo silicone-y!! I feel like used on a regular basis, this would majorly break people out. It’s effective but not my cup of tea. One of my fave products ever, Jack Black’s Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 in Lemon Chamomile. Also reviewed here. Smells SOO good and feels great on the lips. Has quite a bit of slip, and you only need a dab, but it keeps my lips hydrated and smooth without fail. For around $10CDN its a tad steep but it lasts ages to I’ll continue to buy these regularly.

Hiding underneath is an old MAC liquid liner in Black. A friend gave this to me because she just couldn’t master the liquid liner technique, so I’m not sure how much is cost – and in any case, it’s been long discontinued. This lasted forEVER and was really easy to use. It didn’t have the best staying power, so if I did a ‘flick’ at the end of my lash line, it often ran or smudged throughout the day, but it still was a standby for a quick eye look. If you’re looking for something similar, I’d recommend Make Up For Ever’s liquid liners which are about $26CDN and AMAZING with superlong wear.Last but not least, my beloved container of Jojoba Oil. I’ve been using this for everything, it’s such an amazing multi-tasker! On body & face, as a hair treatment, cuticle treatment….love. It’s pretty pricey, for this small one it was about $20CDN – the large size is like $45?? But sort of worth it. I really like that it’s JUST jojoba oil, no additives or other ingredients, so you know what you’re getting. You just feel good using it!

So, there you have it. I managed to lighten my load and it feels great!! It’s really spurred me on to keep up the good work, I already have several other products used up and ready for another showing :) I’d love it if my shopping addiction turned to a reduction addiction……uhhh, yeah, right.

Is anyone else having a challenge with product overload? What are you doing to improve the situation? Or are you rolling in abundance with relish? Have you ever tried Project 10 Pan?